Glamour Standing Poses

1. George Petty

Image 1: Start with the weight on the right leg, then bring the left leg around, placing the foot lightly in front. The next two images show some variations in both hip position and shoulders, although in all cases the upper body is angled with the left side closer to the camera to give a slimmer profile. In both images, notice that bringing the left knee in front of the right produces an appealing hourglass shape.

In Image 1, the left hip is allowed to drop and the torso tips with it. The result is a classic S-curve, which the model is accentuating by bringing her right hand up. Note that the shoulders are also tilted, giving an overall dynamic pose. This pose works well with floor-length gowns.

2a. William Albartus DeVorss

2b. Mayo Olmstead

Image 2a and 2b: The models in the right image are demonstrating a slight variants on Image 1 in which the left hip is not quite so low, although still tilted. In this case, the left hand is placed on the hip toward the back of the waist, closing and accentuating the S-curve.

Image 2b was included to better show the arm position. Where in Image 2a the right shoulder is up and the right elbow forward, the right shoulder in Image 2b is back, together with the right elbow. The left elbow in Image 2a is back with the left palm placed on the hip, while in Image 2b, the arm is straightened so the hand is hooked on the side of the hip.

Feel free to play with other arm positions, such as left hand on the inside of the thigh, hands on top of each other on the left leg (which will accentuate the cleavage), and one or both hands behind the head lifting the hair.

3. Alberto Vargas

Image 3: In the image on the left, the left hip has been raise. Care needs to be taken with this pose because it will compress the skin at the waist facing the camera so it should be covered by clothing, a prop, a hand, or an arm. The raised hip reduces the should tilt, but the head is tilted to keep the upper body from appearing too static.

Note the asymmetry in this and the previous two poses: the left and right side are doing different but complementary things. In the third image, note also the hands: the left has a slight angle in keeping with the Bend It rule, although the elbow is straight. The right hand is lightly brushing the cheek.

4.
Original Artwork: Alberto Vargas
Model: Megan Fleming

Image 4: In this image, the weight is shifted to the left leg and the right leg is tucked in behind with the right knee bent. The torso is tilted back with the stomach tight, bringing the chest up. Notice that the hand is placed on the left hip, hiding any potential skin folds not covered by the dress.

Notice that the right hand is similar to Image 3, but with a slightly more open arm bend due to the smaller bend of the neck. The hand itself, though, is positioned the same: a light brush of the cheek along the cheekbone. The left hand is in a variant of that used in Image 2 from the previous set, but placed on top of the hip bone in front so that the palm faces down. Play with these hand variants to see what effect they have.

Megan is displaying a variant with a more pronounced knee bend. Notice as well that her back leg is locked: the photographer should look out for this and have her add just a slight bend to the knee. An easier correction is to simply have her wear shoes with a bit of heel, which would not allow the knee to lock quite so much.

5.
Original Artwork: Joe Chiodo
Model: Megan Fleming

Image 5: In the image on the left, the left leg is swung back to the left. The weight is still on the right leg and the left hip is still slightly dropped, but now the left foot is to the left of the right, with the left hip twisted slightly forward. The result is a different type of S-shape without the hourglass effect.

The forward-facing stance provides a more static, in this case "rooted", feel. The overall effect is a more aggressive posture, indicating someone who will not be moved by other than their own will.

Megan is displaying a more tentative variation on the pose with a less pronounced S-curve. She is also illustrating the effect of pointing the elbow directly at the camera, something the photographer will need to watch for because it is not easy for the model to catch the subtle different from their perspective. Bringing her hand down to her forehead would provide a quick and easy solution, achieving a look more like the original artwork.

6.
Original Artwork: Rolf Armstrong
Model: Megan Fleming

Image 6: In the image on the right, the upper body is purposefully static. Compare this to the images 1 to 4 to see the effect. The model is portraying a strong and dominant character, so the static upper body creates the effect of being unchanging.

The lower body still has the weight on the back leg, but now the effect is one of stepping toward the viewer, as well as provide the hourglass figure generated by placing the left knee in front of the right knee.

Megan is showing a variant with a slight turn of the upper body away from the main light (camera left), giving a bit of shadow to provide more definition. Notice as well that she is stretching the neck (so smoothing it), and her elbows are pointed forward but directly at the camera.

7. William Albartus DeVorss

Image 7: Twisting the body around to bring the right leg in front gives the pose in the third image. This is essentially a mirror of Image 3 from the previous set but with a more extreme body tilt.

Once again, placing the knees in front of each other accentuates the hips by generating the hourglass shape, and the upper body turn brings the chest up to provide a more curved contour.

8.
Original Artwork: Ben-Hur Baz
Model: Megan Fleming

Image 8: The right-most image requires a further step to the left by swinging the right leg farther over the left leg. Knees are still crossed over each other, but the spread of the feet provides an expanded version of the hourglass effect.

Notice that she has brought the hands behind her so that, combined with the lean forward, the chest spreads to accentuate the bust. This pose works particularly well with low-cut dresses and tops. The head is slightly tilted in keeping with the Head Tilt rule.

Megan presents a slightly more upright variant to give a slightly different feel to the image. In the original the forward lean shows a person who is confident and acting without hesitation. Megan is showing a more reserved version. Add a slight downcast look and it could easily turn into a shy pose. If she then looked up through her lashes with a slight smile, you would have someone embarrassed about being noticed but still pleased to have caught your attention.